Nathaniel Bentley, 'The dirty hardware merchant of Leadenhall Street'

There is a public house, on Bishopsgate, with a rather curious name: 'Dirty Dicks'.

With such an odd name I knew that there  had to be an interesting story behind it... and there is.

The pub is named after Nathaniel Bentley, who lived a curious life.

Born in, or around, 1735, into the family of a wealthy hardware merchant, Nathaniel was afforded an education that befitted his status.

Dubbed 'the beau of Leadenhall', because of his clothing and impeccable manners, Nathaniel was quite the ladies man and could be seen at many functions in and around the City.

Following his father's death, in 1760, Nathaniel inherited his father's business, which consisted of a successful hardware business, a shop and a fully stocked warehouse in Leadenhall Street. Plus, around 15 properties, some of which were leased out.

In 1764 Nathaniel visited Paris and attended the coronation of Louis XVI, where he was introduced to the king and was lauded as the 'best dressed and mannered English gentleman' at the French Court. His education had resulted in Nathaniel being able to speak French and Italian fluently, allowing him to associate with people of the highest respectability.

He was also a  patron of Vauxhall and Ranelagh Pleasure Gardens, up until the early 19th century.

Now, things get curious and it becomes hard to sort fact from fiction. Following his father's death Nathaniel had moved into the warehouse, which hadn't been cleaned since 1760, and began to let his appearance decline. 

Rumours persist that a lady, whom Nathaniel was to marry, died on the eve of their wedding, while others suggest that the lady in question died on their wedding day. 

Some rumours persist that the lady died before a lavish gathering that Nathaniel had planned, for her and her family, and that the lavish meal was left on the table, behind the lock door of the dining room, gradually deteriorating much like Nathaniel's appearance. 

This rumour appears to have inspired Charles Dickens to write the character of 'Mrs Haversham'.

Either way, Nathaniel stopped washing. He repaired his clothes, until they were no longer fit for purpose, and gave himself just 18p to live on, per day.

If he did go out he still wore fine clothes and was always polite and well mannered, just not very clean.

He became miserly and let all of his staff go, except for one who did his shopping for him. His diet consisted of vegetables and, occasionally, bacon, although that had to be lean as the fat was a waste.

He was also partial to drinking beer, demolishing a gallon of the stuff every three days.

He was no longer known as 'the beau of Leadenhall', but rather as 'Dirty Dick', the dirty hardware merchant of Leadenhall Street.

When asked why he didn't wash his hands, anymore, he replied,

"It is of no use, Sir. If I wash my hands today they will be dirty again tomorrow."

Over time the warehouse became even dirtier, with grime caking the windows, while dust covered his wares, inside the property.

Refusing to light a fire to fight off the cold, as the warehouse became more dilapidated and windows cracked, he would stand in a box of straw to keep his feet warm.

He refused the help of his neighbours who offered to help in repairing and maintaining the building.

One afternoon he damaged his leg, while moving around the warehouse, and employed a lady to supply him with bandages and medicines. However, his leg refused to heal so he was forced to pay to have it treated, otherwise he could have lost it, or worse, died.

People still flocked to his warehouse, especially the ladies, who were fascinated by his unkempt appearance but still polite nature.

Nathaniel continued to occupy the 46 Leadenhall Street warehouse, until his lease expired in 1802. Mr Gosling took over the lease and leased the building to Nathaniel for another year.

In 1804 the lease expired and Nathaniel vacated the premises, leaving it to his successor, Mr Gosling.

Walking with friends: Bethnal Green to Spitalfields... and beyond

Saturday May 24, 2025.

When friends wish to accompany me on a walk, in London, I have to work out a rough route that will take in some sites that will appeal to everyone. As friends all have different backgrounds, interests and are of different ages, this can be a challenge.

However, I am always up for a challenge, so I set about planning a route that would encompass enough places of varied age to visit so that everyone would be satisfied.

I set off on the short walk to Watford Metropolitan station, where I met up with Steve, before boarding a Baker Street-bound train. Gary had made his way to Moor Park station and, with me calling him as we pulled in, joined us for the trip.

Alighting at Finchley Road we waited three minutes for an Aldgate-bound train, which we rode until Liverpool Street, where we took a Central line train the one stop to Bethnal Green.

On exiting the station we headed up Cambridge Heath Road and entered the Young V&A Museum. I had picked this particular place as we had all been children, once, and I knew that we would all see some things from our childhood. Besides, I hadn't been here in almost 8 years, during which time it had undergone a major refurbishment.

Passing through the reception, with its gift shop, we entered the main hall, heading to the first gallery on our left. Tin toys, railway sets, movie merchandise toys and posters, Christopher Reeve's costume from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, toys from television series and so much more.

Then there was a dimly-lit room full of dolls houses, all lit up with tiny lights from within.

The War Horse puppet, a suit of Samurai armour, models, more toys, giant dolls houses that a child could easily fit inside, books and more.

A stage area allowed children to dress up and act out scenes, while a glass fronted cabinet held Boris Karloff's costume from 'The Bride of Frankenstein', while others contained Kabuki masks and more recent mass-produced masks.

A room, with a black and white floor, with pink walls, created the illusion, if you stood in the right place, of a person shrinking in one corner, while being unable to fully stand in another corner.

The Design Gallery showed how things were designed and manufactured, while another gallery showcased board games, cards and gaming consoles.

We explored the entire building and its exhibits, before making our way outside, after making a donation to the museum.

From here we continued up Cambridge Heath Road, before turning west down Hackney Road. As is common for this area of London, many old houses are sandwiched between new builds, while 'ghost signs' still advertise products and companies that no longer exist.  We continued heading west, before turning south, on Horatio Street, which brought us to Ezra Street. Ezra Street, and nearby Barnet Grove, are wonderfully preserved Georgian streets, some of which were used in the 1990 movie 'The Krays', standing in for Vallance Road, where the Krays childhood home was.

At the corner of Ezra Street and Columbia Road stands the Royal Oak, which, fortuitously, was open. So, in we went. It is a wonderful pub, full of history and retains much of its 1923 upgrades. Because  of its location and style, the Royal Oak has been used in numerous television series, like 'Goodnight Sweetheart' (1993-1999), and films such as 'The Krays' (1990), 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' (1998) and 'Legend' (2015).

Suitably refreshed we left this wonderful pub and headed along Columbia Road and turned down Barnet Grove, until we reached Bethnal Green Road. Feeling peckish we stopped for some lunch, which was filling, before continuing along Bethnal Green Road, stopping to stare at the phenomenally long queue outside 'E. Pellicci's'. 'E. Pellicci's' was where Ronnie and Reggie Kray ate breakfast, nearly everyday, and has become even more popular with tourists.

Turning around we crossed Bethnal Green Road and spotted the 'Marquis of Cornwallis' pub, so we went in for some refreshments. What a contrast it was. Its outside appearance looked rundown, with paint flaking from the walls and the lettering on the name almost completely vanished. Yet, inside, it was modern, with panelled wood and countless televisions showing different sports.

On leaving the 'Marquis of Cornwallis' we headed south along Vallance Road, passing Weavers Fields, stopping to take a photo of the buildings that now occupy the place where Ronnie and Reggie Kray had their childhood home.

From here we headed along Dunbridge Street and saw the Bethnal Green Bath House and, to its left, Repton Boxing Club, where the Kray brothers used to box. Dunbridge Street brought us to Cheshire Street and the next stop on our journey; 'The Carpenter's Arms'. 

This pub, built in 1871, is a wonderful little place. The small bar leads through to a small seating area and then into a small outside seating area. The walls are covered in framed photos of London Transport photos and maps, Repton Boxing Club, Truman Brewery photos and advertisements and more. Other framed black and white photos show some of the regulars enjoying drinks and having parties. Then there is a photo of Ronnie and Reggie. This pub was purchased by them, in 1967, as a gift to their mother, Violet. It was from offices upstairs that business meetings took place. It was also here, on October 29, 1967, that Reggie Kray had a drink to calm his nerves, before heading off to murder Jack 'The Hat' McVitie.

Once we had finished our drinks we continued along Cheshire Street and then turned south, down Brick Lane, passing the Truman Brewery and then Hanbury Street, where Annie Chapman was murdered by Jack the Ripper. Eventually we reached Fashion Street with its Moorish style market building that, when it opened, was a financial disaster. Some of the space was taken over by G Scammell and Nephew, who were wheelwrights. It was here that Scammell Lorries had their beginning.